


on the other side

by AlmondRose



Series: Miraculous Lesbians [2]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/F, First Date, First Kiss, Identity Reveal, Yeahhh, a lillll bit of angst but not much, adrien voice: me and marinette are just friends!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, alternate pov of date, fluffy?????? really fluffy, lesbian marinette, trans! Adrien
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-12
Updated: 2018-01-12
Packaged: 2019-03-03 22:31:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13350864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlmondRose/pseuds/AlmondRose
Summary: adrien has a date. she's pretty nervous.





	on the other side

**Author's Note:**

> this is literally "date", the previous work in this series, but in adrien's pov. i hope you enjoy!

Adrien has a problem.

 

It’s a big one, and she’s not really sure how on earth she’s gonna figure this out.

 

The thing is, she has a date, and she’s never been on a date before, and it’s with Marinette, who is cute and fun and that’s not the part Adrien minds.

 

What she does mind is that Marinette is almost certainly heterosexual and Ayla says that Marinette has a major crush on Adrien but--Adrien’s not a boy.

 

She’s a girl, she thinks, staring in the mirror at her not-girlness. And Marinette thinks she’s going on a date with a boy, and deception isn’t really Adrien’s thing.

 

Adrien _would_ just back out, but she doesn’t want to hurt Marinette’s feelings. She’s not sure how to get herself out of this one.

 

So instead she turns to Plagg and transforms, sneaking out through the window and flipping away from the Manor.

 

Being Chat Noir is liberating in so many ways. Chat’s not sure if she looks different or if there’s some sort of perception filter-type thing, or if Plagg did _something_ with his magic, but everyone perceives Chat as a girl. Never once, since Chat’s first appearance, has anyone called Chat a “he”.

 

Adrien’s grateful for that.

 

She flips across the rooftops, whooping and hollering and causing a general ruckus, just trying to get her nervous energy out.

 

She doesn’t expect to see her lady, and she hopes not to see an akuma. She just wants to _run._

 

So she does.

 

She does until her cheeks are flushed and she can’t stop smiling and she hears a yell-- “I’m a lesbian!”

 

Chat knows that voice, and she peeks over the side of the building to the next roof over, and Ladybug is standing there with her arms thrown out wide and her shout still echoing in the air.

 

“Oh my lady,” Chat says, and she grins when Ladybug starts. “What an excellent mood to be feeling this fine Saturday.”

 

Ladybug whirls around to face her with a smile on her face. Chat _loves_ Ladybug’s smile.

 

Ladybug runs over to meet her and Chat jumps down to the lower roof. She holds out her hand and Ladybug takes it. Chat spins her around and there’s a certain giddiness in the air, Chat thinks.

 

“So what are you doing out so early in the day, bugaboo?” Chat asks.

 

“I needed to scream my lesbianism to the world,” Ladybug answers, which, okay, Chat can relate. She pauses. “What about you?”

 

“I just,” Chat says, and she hesitates. Maybe her reasons are weird. “I needed...to be a girl for a little while.”

 

Ladybug smiles, softly, and Chat wants to melt.

 

“You’re always a girl, silly cat,” she says, ruffling Chat’s hair,  and Chat grins, relief filling her. She grins.

 

“That I am!” she says, and she spins Ladybug around again.

 

Ladybug giggles, and she smirks at Chat.

 

“Race you to the Tower?” she asks.

 

“Of course!” Chat says, and Ladybug is on the next rooftop before Chat can blink.

 

“Last one there’s an akuma!” Ladybug calls, and Chat snorts.

 

“My lady, you are _ridiculous.”_ Ladybug tosses a grin over her shoulder, and Chat races to catch up with her.

 

Chat’s not sure who gets there first, but they dance and laugh and Ladybug leans her head on Chat’s shoulder and Chat’s in _love._

 

“Thanks for letting me be myself,” Ladybug says, vulnerability leaking into her voice.

 

“I have to say the same to you, bugaboo,” Chat says, and Ladybug grabs Chat’s hand and Chat squeezes.

 

Chat hates to leave, but--

 

“I have to go,” she says, and she doesn’t want to. It’s not fair to Marinette that Adrien’s in love with Ladybug and has been lying about her gender this entire time. Well--not really lying, because nobody ever asked.

 

She wonders what she would say if someone _did_ ask.

 

“So do I,” Ladybug says, regret filling her voice. “I’m actually super stressed about the...thing.”

 

“I’m sure it’ll be purrfect,” Chat says. “After all, everything with you is.”

 

“Flatterer,” Ladybug says fondly. She squeezes Chat’s hand and stands up. “See you around, Kitty.”

 

Chat pretends she doesn’t hear the sadness in Ladybug’s voice.

 

“Of course, my lady,” she says, standing up and curtseying. Ladybug curtseys back and flips away.

 

Chat knows a shortcut to the cafe where she’s meeting Marinette, so she takes it and detransforms in the alley next door.

 

Adrien runs inside and gets her table; she decides that maybe letting Marinette down gently is the best way to approach this.

 

All she hopes is that she doesn’t ruin their friendship; she really likes Marinette.

 

She hears a familiar voice ask for her and Adrien leans around so she can see the hostess.

 

“Marinette!” she calls, waving her arm, and Marinette leans around the hostess to see her.

 

She comes over, and Adrien thinks Marinette looks sick. She hopes she’s okay.

 

Marinette sits down and smiles.

 

“H-hi Adrien!” she says, a little too loud, and Adrien feels awful.

 

“Hey, Marinette,” Adrien says. There’s a long moment of silence, and Adrien thinks she should say something--compliment her dress maybe?--but then Marinette says, “M-model for any-anything cool lately?”

 

“Yeah,” Adrien says. “Design anything cool lately?”

 

Marinette shrugs and stares at the table.

 

Adrien wants to say something, do something to make her friend feel better, but she’s not sure what’s wrong and maybe it’s just nerves, and Adrien would be the _worst_ to just-friends her now.

 

“Can I get anything for you two today?” a waitress asks, appearing out of nowhere.

 

“I’ll start with a water, thanks,” Adrien says, and the waitress says, “Are you two on a date?”

 

Adrien’s not really sure if that’s any of her business.

 

“Yeah,” she says, then maybe it’ll make it less awkward--”First date, actually.”

 

Marinette stands up.

 

“I-I have to go,” she says, and she turns and she’s gone.

 

The waitress makes a face.

 

“I’m sorry, sweetie,” she says. “Maybe she doesn’t like you as much as you like her!”

 

“I don’t know,” Adrien says, getting up. “I’m gonna--”

 

And she’s off, running after her.

 

She gets outside the cafe and Marinette is gone, like she’s vanished. Adrien’s not sure where she’d go; if she was headed home Adrien would still be able to see her.

 

“Where could she be?” Adrien asks miserably, and Plagg sticks his head out of her pocket.

 

“You could try the alley,” he says lazily, and Adrien turns to do just that.

 

Marinette is in the corner by the dumpster, her back to Adrien and her head in her hands.

 

Adrien goes to her.

 

“Marinette?” she says. “Are you okay?”

 

Marinette whirls around and there’s tears streaming down her face. Adrien isn’t sure what she did wrong.

 

“I-I’m so-sorry,” Marinette says, her voice thick with tears.

 

“No it’s okay,” Adrien says. “ _I’m_ sorry if I did anything to cause...this.”

 

She sort of gestures to Marinette and she makes a half-laughing noise.

 

“It’s no-not your fault,” Marinette says, and she sounds so _earnest._ She wipes her eyes and Adrien decides that even if she didn’t hurt her, someone did, so she holds out her arms, asking permission with her eyes, and Marinette falls into her.

 

Adrien wraps her arms around her and breathes. Marinette is tiny and she’s gonna get tears on Adrien's shirt and her dad is gonna _kill_ her but she doesn’t care.

 

“I’m a lesbian,” Marinette says, her voice wobbly and uncertain. “I’m a lesbian.”

 

Adrien is so surprised she blurts it out. “I’m--I’m a girl.”

 

Marinette pulls back, but doesn’t leave Adrien’s arms, and looks her square in the eyes. “What?”

 

“I’m trans,” Adrien says, and a weight is lifted off of her shoulders. “I’m a girl.” Marinette blinks and Adrien adds ”I like girls and I _can’t_ go on a date with a girl if she thinks that I’m a boy, cause I’m a _girl.”_

 

She takes a deep breath.

 

“I pretended to like you because I was nervous around you because of your dad,” Marinette says. “and because you were new and it was easy to pretend. And I’m in love with someone else.”

 

“I am too,” Adrien says, and it feels easy, natural, to tell this all to Marinette. She laughs, and realizes that she’s about to cry. “Nobody knows I’m a girl.”

 

She wonders if Marinette hears the unspoken, _Except my lady,_ but of course she doesn’t.

 

“Nobody knows I’m a lesbian,” Marinette says. Adrien wishes she could hear _Except the girl I’m in love with_ in Marinette’s voice. She wants her friend to be happy.

 

On a whim, she reaches out her hand and wipes the tears from Marinette’s face.

 

“Do you want me to call you something else?” Marinette asks. Adrien blinks.

 

She hasn’t really thought about a girl name, since her daily life is almost entirely an act and when she wants to be herself she has Chat.

 

“I haven’t even thought of a new name yet,” Adrien confesses, touched that Marinette even thought of that.

 

“Maybe I can help,” Marinette says immediately. “I think my mom has some old baby name books somewhere.”

 

“I’d like that,” Adrien says, and she really, really means it. “Whoever you’re in love with is a lucky girl.”

 

“So is yours,” Marinette says, and well, Adrien’s being herself today--why not go all out?

 

“She _is_ pretty _lucky,”_ Adrien says, winking.

 

Marinette’s mouth falls open and she turns white, stumbling back.

 

“Are you okay?” Adrien asks, concerned--why would a pun that _only Adrien understands_ make Marinette sick?

 

“Yeah,” Marinette says, her voice squeaking. “I think I need to go.”

 

“Okay?” Adrien says, confused beyond belief. “I’ll see you on Monday?”

 

“Looking forward to it,” Marinette says, and she turns and runs away, leaving Adrien to stare after her in confusion.

 

“Don’t worry, kid,” Plagg says, floating up next to her. “Girls have _always_ been confusing.”

 

“I’m a girl!” Adrien says, and Plagg smiles, his sharp little teeth glinting in the shadows of the alley.

 

“Exactly, kid,” he says. “Exactly.”

 

* * *

 

Adrien transforms and goes home; Chat Noir sits on Adrien’s bed and stares at a wall.

 

She’s not sure what’s happened, or what she’s supposed to think.

 

Marinette _knows,_ now, and maybe she can help Adrien tell Nino and Alya. Adrien’d like them to know.

 

She detransforms and says, “Maybe I’ll tell Ladybug my secret identity.”

 

“Whatever, kid,” Plagg says.

 

“I’ve been brave today,” Adrien continues. “Maybe I’ll keep being brave.”

 

“It’s your funeral,” Plagg says, and he flies away to check Adrien’s mini-fridge for cheese.

 

Adrien doesn’t think it’ll backfire, if she tells Ladybug. They’ve been partners for years and Ladybug’s expressed a desire to tell Chat in the past.

 

Darkness falls and Adrien transforms, heading to the roof to message Ladybug.

 

Instead, Ladybug appears and Chat runs to her, holds her tight.

 

She opens her mouth to tell her, but “I love you,” comes out instead. She said it and she didn’t mean to but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t mean it.

 

Then Ladybug’s kissing her and Chat feels like she’s gonna melt.

 

“Chat,” Ladybug says when they pull apart, so close that Chat can feel Ladybug’s breath, “Adrien. It’s me. It’s _me.”_

 

And Chat understands.

 

“Marinette,” she says, and the stars align above her head and the world falls into place and everything is perfect.

 

Maybe the date didn’t go so bad, after all.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading! comments/kudos always welcome!


End file.
